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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — in music
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. shower — rain
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — to go on
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com